Woodland Garden Case Study
By Ruby Simpson, Garden Designer
As a designer, when I come across a garden with a dramatic feature that needs to be creatively included or enhanced, I’m excited for the challenge! When I saw the mature copse of trees at the bottom of this client’s garden, I couldn’t wait to start working on ideas to enhance this feature within my design.
The client wanted a garden that took them on a journey, with little destinations, giving them reasons to use every part of the space. They loved being out in the garden and wanted to encourage their little one to enjoy being outdoors, immersed in nature. They needed a space to entertain friends, a space to grow fruit, vegetables and flowers, a lawn for playing and borders bursting with delightful plants.
Before
After
From the outset, I knew that the trees were going to be centre stage with woodland paths winding around and between them. Various features of interest appear along the journey. Within the woodland garden, I included a fire pit area, a play area with a playhouse and a garden escape in the form of a shepherd’s hut. I designed a pathway to encircle the trees and break away to each zone. Beneath the trees, I specified lots of bulbs, with woodland shrubs and ferns surrounding the main circle. These will eventually establish themselves and enwreathe the different destinations.
Closer to the house, I introduced the juxtaposition of open space – wide lawns with luxurious planting surrounding the new terrace. Subtle additions added interest: a simple water bowl, a kitchen garden with raised beds, fan trained fruit and a beautiful greenhouse.
Before
After
The side of the house (which featured unhappy grass, due to being laid on builders’ rubble), was the perfect space for a shady gravel garden with Japanese Acers and ferns in large containers. The terrace and pathway surrounding the house was going to be York stone, intersected by pads of brick pavers.
Once the design brief was fulfilled and Nicholsons dedicated landscaping teams had worked their magic – despite the disagreeable British weather conditions, this beautiful garden was born.
Guided by our principles of protecting nature and climate, we used our green audit to support best design practice. All materials were British sourced and the planting palette included wildlife and pollinator friendly plants. We also tucked some log piles amongst the woodland planting and installed our client’s bird and insect houses around the garden.
Before
After
I thoroughly enjoyed creating this design, working with the client and our skilful landscapers to get everything “just right”. I look forward to visiting the garden over the coming years to watch it mature and evolve. For my wonderful clients, I truly hope that this garden will be a place to escape, to entertain, to enjoy nature and more than anything, a place for them to make cherished memories.
If you feel inspired by this woodland garden and would like to speak to a member of our Garden Design team about your project, please contact gardendesign@nicholsonsgb.com .
